LAS VEGAS, NV, Feb. 14, 2007 —Chicago Sky forward Candice Dupree spent the first half of her offseason playing in Russia. Now that she is back in the United States, she has made the trip to Las Vegas to participate in the festivities at NBA All-Star Weekend. WNBA.com Editor Matt Wurst caught up with Candice on Wednesday afternoon at the Habitat for Humanity Build as she shared her thoughts on participating in the Haier Shooting Stars Contest on Saturday night and the Chicago Sky's busy offseason.

Dupree was joined by several WNBA and NBA players to help build a house with Habitat for Humanity on Wednesday.NBAE Images

Q. So what have you been up to here in Las Vegas and what types of things have you been doing events-wise?Dupree: "I arrived here on Sunday night. Let's see, Monday was a fun day, we went to three different schools and had an opportunity to read to students, I read to mostly third and fourth graders. The second school we went to actually had a few blind students, and the books we read to them had braille written on them. It was a fun day overall."

Q. Have you been able to visit any other places in Vegas so far? Is this the first time you've been here?Dupree: "Around town, I went to the Fashion Show Mall and the Forum at Caesar's Palace. I've actually been here before, I had the chance to visit Las Vegas when I was in high school with my AAU Team. I wasn't old enough to gamble back then!"

Q. What NBA player or legend are you most looking forward to seeing here in Las Vegas?Dupree: "Actually the NBA player that I am looking forward to meeting the most is Scottie Pippen. I'll get the chance to compete with him on Saturday night. Of course he is a legend all the way with the Chicago Bulls and it's an honor to be on his team."

Q. Are you nervous at all about the Shooting Stars competition?Dupree: "I'm not nervous now, but I'm sure that will come by Saturday night. I hope that I can stick to the 10-foot and 15-shoots and stay away from the NBA threes. I actually made a halfcourt shot at the WNBA All-Star game, so I have some practice with that. I've just been working out with the different shots so that I can be prepared."

Candice has not only done community appearances, but also gotten to do some shopping while she has been here.NBAE Images

Q. What else have you been doing this offseason?Dupree: "I was overseas September through November, in Russia. It was an experience, to say the least. I liked the city and my teammates, but the business side of it was sort of a turn-off. It's definitely not college anymore. So I decided that I am going to finish school this semester, I'm doing an internship in New Jersey and those will be the last credits that I need. I'm doing my internship at a place called Velocity Sports, it's a high performance training facility that works with high school and college athletes who are looking to improve themselves."

Q. You have a new coach and some new players joining the Sky, what is the outlook for this season?Dupree: "I've talked to Coach Bo on the phone a few times, he sounds very enthusiastic about this season and I am really looking forward to working with him.
We are trying to bring in some new players, we need a point guard, and we had our first big free-agent signing with Dominique Canty. She's a great player, I was surprised, I think Sheryl Swoopes told me first and of course I had to go to WNBA.com to check it out."

Q. Today is Valentine's Day, any special memories that you'd like to share?Dupree: "Well, my mom is my Valentine every single year, haha."

Last week, Lauren Hill of Mount St. Joseph University courageously took the floor for her first college game, refusing to let an inoperable brain tumor keep her from achieving her dream – and WNBA stars Elena Delle Donne and Tamika Catchings were on hand to lend their support.